Method for continuously processing meat substrates

ABSTRACT

A method for continuously processing meat substrates, such as poultry, includes placing a meat substrate in a package sized to contain the meat substrate and a predetermined amount of a marinade. The marinade generally comprises a solute and water, but may also include a soluble or insoluble seasoning and other ingredients. After the predetermined amount of marinade is added to the package, the package is then sealed to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbed by the meat substrate. Preferably, the volume of the sealed package is substantially equal to the sum of the volume of the meat substrate and the predetermined amount of marinade. When the marinade includes an insoluble seasoning, it is desirable to add a fraction of the marinade, then place the meat substrate in the package, and then add the remainder of the marinade to the meat-containing package.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for continuously processingmeat substrates. More specifically, the present invention relates tocontinuously marinating and packaging meat substrates, such as portionsof poultry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Meat processors often utilize various techniques to enhance and addvalue to their food products, such as by applying marinade to meatsubstrates. The procedure for applying marinade to meat substrates maytake one or multiple steps based on the size of the substrate, themarinade composition, and the desired level of marination. In the foodprocessing industry, there are various approaches to marinating meatsubstrates and the processes are selected according to the type ofproduct desired and the composition of the marinade. Such processesinclude massaging, tumbling, vacuum tumbling, injecting, or acombination of these techniques.

One of the more commonly-used methods of marination is tumbling.Marination by tumbling typically involves a batch process in which largequantities of meat substrates are combined with a marinade in amechanical tumbler. As the tumbler is agitated, the marinade and meatsubstrates are mixed, and the marinade is absorbed by the meatsubstrates. The method of marination by vacuum tumbling uses a sealedchamber in which the marinade and meat substrates are placed. Air ispartially evacuated, and the chamber is agitated to increase the rate ofmarinade absorption by the meat substrates.

Another commonly-used method of marination is injection. Marination byinjection uses needles to inject a predetermined volume of marinadedirectly into the meat substrates. Regardless of the method used, allknown currently utilized processes substantially complete marination ofthe meat substrates prior to placing and sealing the substrates intopackages.

Currently utilized marination techniques often result in inconsistentlymarinated, non-aesthetically pleasing products and may contribute tosignificant waste of marinade. Furthermore, these processes oftenrequire multiple pieces of equipment for marinating and packaging themeat substrates. Moreover, the prior art processes often requirebinders, such as phosphates, to ensure that a sufficient amount ofmarinade is retained in the meat substrate. The use of binders isincreasingly being viewed as a negative and can adversely affect thesales of the product.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method to efficientlymarinate and package meat substrates. There is also a need for amarination method which provides consistently-marinated products. It isalso desirable to reduce the number of pieces of equipment used incurrent marination and packaging processes. Moreover, it is alsodesirable to provide a method which can be used to adequately marinate ameat substrate without the use of binders.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art processes, an embodiment ofthe present invention relates to a method for continuously processingmeat substrates including the step of placing a meat substrate in apackage which is sized to contain the meat substrate and a predeterminedamount of marinade, which comprises at least a solute and water. Thepredetermined amount of marinade is selected to be substantiallyabsorbed by the meat substrate. The method includes the step of addingthe predetermined amount of marinade to the package, which is thensealed to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbed by the meatsubstrate while the package is sealed.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the methodincludes the step of placing a meat substrate into a package which issized to contain the meat substrate and a predetermined amount ofmarinade, which consists essentially of a solute, water, and a solubleseasoning. The predetermined amount of marinade is selected to besubstantially absorbed by the meat substrate. The method includes thestep of adding the predetermined amount of marinade to the package,which is then sealed to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbedby the meat substrate while the package is sealed.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, the methodincludes the step of placing a fraction of a predetermined amount ofmarinade in a package which is sized to contain a meat substrate and apredetermined amount of marinade, which comprises at least a solute andwater and has an insoluble seasoning dispersed therein. Thepredetermined amount of marinade is selected to be substantiallyabsorbed by the meat substrate. The meat substrate is then added to thepartially filled package to provide a meat-containing package. Then, theremainder of the predetermined amount of marinade is added into thepackage, which is sealed to allow the marinade to be substantiallyabsorbed by the meat substrate while the package is sealed.

According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the methodincludes the step of placing a fraction of a predetermined amount ofmarinate in a package which is sized to contain a meat substrate and apredetermined amount of marinade, which consists essentially of asolute, water, and a soluble seasoning and has an insoluble seasoningdispersed therein. The predetermined amount of marinade is selected tobe substantially absorbed by the meat substrate. The meat substrate isthen added to the partially filled package and the remainder of thepredetermined amount of marinade is added into the package, which issealed to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbed by the meatsubstrate while the package is sealed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention and the elements characteristic of theinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, may best be understood by reference to thedetailed description which follows when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow-chart describing a method for continuously processingmeat substrates according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow-chart describing a method for continuously processingmeat substrates according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method for continuouslyprocessing meat substrates. As used herein, the term “processing”primarily means marinating and packaging, but can also encompass otherprocess steps, including additional, optional steps done before andafter the marinating and packaging steps. Such preliminary steps includemacerating, scoring, or tenderizing the meat substrate; cutting the meatsubstrate; and trimming the meat substrate, among others. Post-packagingsteps include tumbling the package to facilitate marination and cookingthe meat substrate, including cooking it while it is still containedwithin the package. In addition, while the process is primarily directedto effecting marination without the use of injection or tumbling, theinventive process of the present invention can be used in conjunctionwith an injection, tumbling, or other marination process.

Any edible meat substrate can be processed in accordance with thepresent invention. Examples of such meat substrates include portions ofpoultry, beef, pork, lamb, veal, or seafood and may be a single cut ofmeat or portions thereof. Poultry includes chicken, turkey, and Cornishhens, among others. In addition, it is provided that the meat substratecan be a bone-in or boneless meat substrate. The meat substrate may beskinless or skin-on. It is primarily envisioned that the presentinvention be used to process whole muscle meat, but the method can alsobe used to process other types of meat substrates. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the method is used to process a portion of poultry, suchas chicken, and in a more specific embodiment of the invention, themethod is used to process a chicken breast.

The method is a continuous process as opposed to a batch process, suchas many known tumbling marination processes. The various steps of themethod are carried out as part of a continuous process. For example, themethod can be carried out using any suitable rollstock machinepreferably having a conveyor belt, such as commercially availablerollstock machines manufactured by Multivac Inc. of Kansas City, Mo.;Rapid Pak of Lodi, Wisconsin; and Reiser of Canton, Mass. In anembodiment for processing chicken breasts, an R530 rollstock machine,manufactured by Multivac, is used.

The marinade used can be any known marinade used to tenderize, moisten,and/or flavor the meat substrate. In its most general sense, themarinade includes a solute, such as salt (which typically is sodiumchloride but could also be or include potassium chloride, among others),and water. Such a marinade serves primarily to tenderize the meat andincrease the water-holding capacity of the meat, thereby allowing for acooked product having increased moistness. The marinade may also includeone or more soluble seasonings primarily for imparting flavor to themeat. For example, soluble seasonings can be used to impart any of awide variety of flavors to the meat substrate, such as barbecue,Italian, honey-mustard, teriyaki, tomato basil, and lemon pepper, amongothers. Seasonings include ingredients such as sweeteners, starches, soyproteins, and hydrocolloids. While the term “soluble seasoning” is used,such seasonings encompass seasonings which are typically added to watereither as a dry powder or as a liquid. While binders, such asphosphates, can also be included in the marinade, it is generallypreferable to provide a marinade which consists of a solute, water, andoptionally a soluble seasoning, to the exclusion of any binders. It hasbeen found that the method of the present invention can achieve asignificant degree of marinade absorption without the use of binders,thereby minimizing the waste of marinade while avoiding the negativeattributes associated with using binders.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is particularly well-suited to using amarinade which also has insoluble seasonings dispersed therein.Insoluble seasonings are seasonings not capable of being dissolved inwater under normal process conditions and are typically used totenderize the meat, impart color to the surface of the meat, and/orflavor the meat. They include, for example, oregano, pepper, parsley,and basil. The marinades used with any embodiment of this invention canalso include other ingredients typically used in marinades. Atraditional type of marinade, for example, may include a solution ofoil, sugar, salt, herbs and spices. Other marinades may also containacidic solutions, such as vinegar, wine, or fruit juice, to tenderizethe meat. In a preferred embodiment in which the method is used toprocess a chicken breast, the marinade includes salt, water, oregano,cheeses, and dehydrated vegetables.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in step 100, a marinadeis selected to be applied to a meat substrate. According to thisembodiment of the invention, the marinade is any marinade discussedabove but preferably does not include any insoluble seasonings, althoughit can.

In step 102, a package to hold the meat substrate and marinade iscreated. Any suitable material can be used for the package so long as itis food-compatible and generally impermeable to liquids to ensure thatthe marinade is retained. The material of the package can be any knownsuitable material, such as polyester or polyamide (e.g., nylon 66) or acomposite blend. Preferably, the material or materials selected have ahigh melting temperature (e.g., over 500° F.) to allow a meat substrateto be cooked inside the package. The material of the package can bevapor permeable or impermeable.

The package may also be flexible, semi-rigid (i.e., flexible but able tohold a shape), or rigid. In an embodiment using a Multivac R530rollstock machine, the package comprises a film forming material and acover film, such as (1) a coextruded forming web with a polypropyleneskin and a Plastomer sealant and (2) a coextruded web with a Nylon skin,a Plastomer sealant and an EVOH barrier, respectively, manufactured byCryovac of Saddle Brook, N.J. A punch, preferably in the same general,or even nearly exact, shape of the meat substrate is used to form adepression in the film forming material, and the cover film is appliedover it and sealed to it as discussed below.

The package is sized to contain the meat substrate and a predeterminedamount of the marinade. In a preferred embodiment, the volume of thesealed package exceeds the sum of the volume of the meat (prior toabsorption of the marinade) and the volume of the predetermined amountof the marinade by about 0.1% to about 10%. Even more preferably, thesealed package volume is substantially equal to the sum of the volume ofthe meat and the volume of the predetermined amount of the marinade.More preferably, the package is also in the same general shape as theouter contours of the meat substrate. In this way, the marinade isgenerally evenly dispersed between the periphery of the meat substrateand the package. This shaping can be effected, for example, by makingthe package in a shape to match the shape of the meat substrate (e.g, byusing a suitably-shaped punch as mentioned above) and/or by pulling avacuum evenly over the package interior during sealing, as discussedbelow.

The predetermined amount of marinade is selected based on a number offactors including the absorptivity of the particular marinade in theparticular meat substrate, the desired extent of marination, theconditions (e.g., temperature and time) during marination, and themaximum allowable percentage of marinade in the particular food product.It is desirable that the predetermined amount of marinade is selected tobe at or near the maximum amount of marinade which can be absorbed bythe meat substrate. Preferably, the predetermined amount of marinade issubstantially or completely absorbed by the meat substrate within about24-72 hours at refrigerated conditions (e.g., 28-40° F.) with notumbling of the bag. Of course, the rate of absorption is increased ifthe sealed bags are tumbled. It is preferred, however, that thepredetermined amount of marinade is selected such that 80 to 99% (byweight) of the predetermined amount is absorbed by the meat substrateafter 72 hours under refrigerated conditions, with the most preferredrange being 85 to 95% (by weight) absorption after 72 hours underrefrigerated conditions. The fullest extent of absorption should occurin most circumstances after 72 hours.

In step 104, meat substrate is placed into the package. Prior to beingplaced in the package, the meat substrate may also be macerated, scored,or tenderized. When using a Multivac R530 rollstock machine, the meatsubstrate is automatically placed in each package as it is conveyedalong the line. Alternatively, the meat substrate can be placed in thepackage manually. The meat substrate placed in the package can be a widevariety of types of meat substrates, including a single cut of meat(e.g., a chicken breast or a drumstick) or multiple meat cuts and wholemuscle meat or processed meat.

Step 106 follows placing the meat substrate into the package. In thisstep, the predetermined amount of marinade is added to the package, forexample by manually pouring the predetermined amount of marinade overthe meat substrate and into the package interior. More preferably, thiscan be done in an automated fashion, using any number of knownvolumetric filling machines, for example those commercially availablefrom Hinds-boch of Redmond, Washington. In one embodiment for coating aboneless chicken breast of about 3-5 oz, approximately 15-22 grams ofmarinade (including the weight of any insoluble seasonings dispersedtherein) may be used. In particular, it has been found that sufficientmarinade is added to achieve approximately 16-20% of the weight of thechicken breast, preferably 18%, although this percentage will varydepending on the desired flavor and moistness of the final product. Inanother embodiment, 19 grams of marinade are used to marinate a chickenbreast having a weight of 4 oz.

In step 108, the package is sealed. For example, in an embodiment usinga Multivac R530 rollstock machine, the sealing step involves firstcovering the package interior containing the meat substrate and thepredetermined amount of marinade with a cover film, then a vacuum isapplied to the interior and the package is heat-sealed while undervacuum. Vacuum sealing is especially advantageous to cause the shape ofthe package to conform evenly with the shape of the meat product and toreduce the amount of oxygen in the package, thereby slowing degradationof the meat substrate. Controlling the extent of vacuum sealing can alsopermit the proper adjustment of the package volume after sealingrelative to the sum of the meat volume and the marinade volume. Forexample, it has been found that using a vacuum of approximately 15-25millibars causes the volume of the package to become approximately equalto the sum of the meat volume and the marinade volume for marinating achicken breast of 3-5 oz using a Multivac R530 rollstock machine. Thematerial used for the cover film to cover the package can be a similaror different material used when creating the package. When sealing thepackage, various methods can be used such as vacuum and/or heat sealing,among others.

In the sealed package, the marinade is completely or substantiallyabsorbed by the meat substrate while the package remains sealed. Aftersealing, the meat substrate and marinade may be cooked within thepackage. Preferable, the package has some way in which to allow easyopening of the package, such as by having a corner of the package notadhered together to allow the cover to be pealed away from the bottom ofthe package.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is particularly suitable foruse when the marinade has an insoluble seasoning, such as pepper ororegano, dispersed therein. This embodiment is desirable in this casebecause in the first embodiment, when a marinade having insolubleseasonings is applied only to the top side of a meat substrate, theinsoluble seasoning primarily coats only the top side. In thisembodiment, the steps of selecting the marinade 200, creating thepackage 202, placing the meat in the substrate 206, and covering andsealing 210 are very similar to or identical to steps 100, 102, 104, and108, respectively, as discussed in connection with FIG. 1 above.

In step 204, a fraction of a predetermined amount of marinade is addedinto the package followed by an amount of meat substrate during step206. The remaining predetermined amount of marinade is added into thepackage (preferably primarily or solely to the top side of the meatsubstrate) in step 208 which is covered and sealed in step 210. Otherthan dividing up the step into the application of two fractions of thepredetermined amount of marinade, these steps are otherwise like step106. The fraction of the predetermined amount of marinade should roughlycorrespond to the surface areas of the two sides (top and bottom) of themeat substrate, and conveniently is often chosen to be 50%.

As can be appreciated, the various steps of the method of the presentinvention, such as placing the meat substrate in the package, adding themarinade to the package, and sealing the package can be done as part ofa continuous process. Moreover, according to certain embodiments of themethod of the present invention, tumblers and injectors are eliminated.Finally, certain embodiments of the present invention provide for theincorporation of a marinade into the matrix of the substrate and thecoating of the substrate with insoluble particulates by the same step.

Although the present invention has been particularly described inconjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that manyalternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. It is therefore contemplated that the appendedclaims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications, and variationsas falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

1. A method for continuously processing meat substrates, comprising thesteps of: placing a meat substrate in a package sized to contain themeat substrate and a predetermined amount of a marinade, wherein themarinade comprises a solute and water and wherein the predeterminedamount is selected to be substantially absorbed by the meat substrate;adding the predetermined amount of the marinade to the package; andsealing the package to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbedby the meat substrate while sealed.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the meat substrate is a bone-in meat substrate or a bonelessmeat substrate.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the meatsubstrate is a portion selected from the group consisting of poultry,beef, pork, lamb, veal, and seafood.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein the meat substrate is a portion of poultry.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the meat substrate is a portion ofchicken.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packagecomprises a film forming material and a cover film, and the step ofsealing the package comprises applying a vacuum to the package whilesealing the cover film with the film forming material such that thesealed package volume exceeds the sum of the volume of the meat and thevolume of the predetermined amount of the marinade by about 0.1% toabout 10%.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packagecomprises a film forming material and a cover film, and the step ofsealing the package comprises applying a vacuum to the package whilesealing the cover film with the film forming material such that thesealed package volume is substantially equal to the sum of the volume ofthe meat and the volume of the predetermined amount of the marinade. 8.The method according to claim 1, wherein the marinade further comprisesa soluble seasoning.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein themarinade further comprises an insoluble seasoning.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of marinade isselected such that about 80% to about 99% (by weight) of thepredetermined amount is absorbed by the meat substrate after 72 hoursunder refrigerated conditions.
 11. The method according to claim 1,wherein the predetermined amount of marinade is selected such that about85% to about 95% (by weight) of the predetermined amount is absorbed bythe meat substrate after 72 hours under refrigerated conditions.
 12. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the meat substrate is a single cutof meat.
 13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising cookingthe meat substrate after sealing the package and while the meatsubstrate is still contained within the package.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 1 further comprising, prior to placing the meatsubstrate in the package, at least one of macerating, scoring, ortenderizing the meat substrate.
 15. The method according to claim 1,wherein the steps of placing, adding, and sealing are carried out aspart of a continuous process.
 16. A method for continuously processingmeat substrates, comprising the steps of: placing a meat substrate in apackage sized to contain the meat substrate and a predetermined amountof a marinade, wherein the marinade consists essentially of a solute,water, and a soluble seasoning, and wherein the predetermined amount isselected to be substantially absorbed by the meat substrate; adding thepredetermined amount of the marinade to the package; and sealing thepackage to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbed by the meatsubstrate while sealed.
 17. A method for continuously processing meatsubstrates, comprising the steps of: placing a fraction of apredetermined amount of a marinade in a package sized to contain themeat substrate and the predetermined amount of the marinade, to providea partially-filled package, wherein the marinade has an insolubleseasoning dispersed therein and comprises a solute and water, andwherein the predetermined amount is selected to be substantiallyabsorbed by the meat substrate; adding the meat substrate to thepartially-filled package to provide a meat-containing package; addingthe remainder of the predetermined amount of the marinade to themeat-containing package; and then sealing the package to allow themarinade to be substantially absorbed by the meat substrate whilesealed.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the meat substrateis a bone-in meat substrate or a boneless meat substrate.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the meat substrate is a portion selectedfrom the group consisting of poultry, beef, pork, lamb, veal, andseafood.
 20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the meatsubstrate is a portion of poultry.
 21. The method according to claim 17,wherein the meat substrate is a portion of chicken.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the package comprises a film formingmaterial and a cover film, and the step of sealing the package comprisesapplying a vacuum to the package while sealing the cover film with thefilm forming material such that the sealed package volume exceeds thesum of the volume of the meat and the volume of the predetermined amountof the marinade by about 0.1% to about 10%.
 23. The method according toclaim 17, wherein the package comprises a film forming material and acover film, and the step of sealing the package comprises applying avacuum to the package while sealing the cover film with the film formingmaterial such that the sealed package volume is substantially equal tothe sum of the volume of the meat and the volume of the predeterminedamount of the marinade.
 24. The method according to claim 17, whereinthe marinade further comprises a soluble seasoning.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the predetermined amount of marinade isselected such that about 80% to about 99% (by weight) of thepredetermined amount is absorbed by the meat substrate after 72 hoursunder refrigerated conditions.
 26. The method according to claim 17,wherein the predetermined amount of marinade is selected such that about85% to about 95% (by weight) of the predetermined amount is absorbed bythe meat substrate after 72 hours under refrigerated conditions.
 27. Themethod according to claim 17, wherein the meat substrate is a single cutof meat.
 28. The method according to claim 17 further comprising cookingthe meat substrate after sealing the package and while the meatsubstrate is still contained within the package.
 29. The methodaccording to claim 17 further comprising, prior to placing the meatsubstrate in the package, at least one of macerating, scoring, ortenderizing the meat substrate.
 30. The method according to claim 17,wherein the steps of placing, adding the meat substrate, adding theremainder of the predetermined amount, and sealing are carried out aspart of a continuous process.
 31. A method for continuously processingmeat substrates, comprising the steps of: placing a fraction of apredetermined amount of a marinade in a flexible package sized tocontain the meat substrate and the predetermined amount of the marinade,to provide a partially-filled package, wherein the marinade has aninsoluble seasoning dispersed therein and consists essentially of asolute, water, and a soluble seasoning, and wherein the predeterminedamount is selected to be substantially absorbed by the meat substrate;adding the meat substrate to the partially-filled package to provide ameat-containing package; adding the remainder of the predeterminedamount of the marinade to the meat-containing package; and then sealingthe package to allow the marinade to be substantially absorbed by themeat substrate while sealed.